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| Bahá’í News | August 1977 | Bahá’í Year 134 |
A ‘homecoming’ in Ethiopia
| Contents |
Reaping the harvest |
|
A Knight of Bahá’u’lláh returns ‘home’ to Ethiopia | 2 |
Three visitors |
|
To the ‘Mother Temple of the West’ in Wilmette | 4 |
Around the world |
|
News from Bahá’í communities in every corner of the globe | 10 |
Cover
Forty-four years ago Sabri Elias, a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, opened Ethiopia to the Faith. In May 1977, Mr. Elias returned to Ethiopia with his wife for the first time in more than 20 years for an emotional reunion with his spiritual brothers and sisters at the National Convention in Addis Ababa.
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Reaping the Harvest[edit]
44 years after opening the country to the Faith, Sabri Elias returns ‘home’ to Ethiopia[edit]
After more than 20 years, the “spiritual conqueror of Ethiopia” was home.
In May 1977, Sabri Elias, a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh who opened Ethiopia to the Bahá’í Faith in 1933, returned to its capital, Addis Ababa, to be warmly received by the National Spiritual Assembly of Ethiopia at its annual Convention.
Emotions were high as Mr. and Mrs. Elias recounted their early days in Ethiopia and wept with joy that the seeds they had sown for Bahá’u’lláh had blossomed forth into a fruitful tree (the National Assembly) with its lovely branches (committees) and leaves (Local Assemblies and individual believers).
Had it not been for a dream about the Guardian, Mr. Elias might never have been in Ethiopia at all.
In 1933, the Guardian wrote to the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Africa, in Cairo, Egypt, urgently requesting that a Bahá’í be sent to Ethiopia to verify the status of some individuals there who claimed to be Bahá’ís.
The secretary of the National Assembly, Eskinder Hanna, told Mr. Elias that the Guardian needed someone to go to Ethiopia. Mr. Elias, who did not wish to go, mentioned several others as possibilities, but the secretary found none of them acceptable.
That night, Mr. Elias had a dream in which he and another Bahá’í were standing before the Guardian who asked them who was ready to go and light up a country for Bahá’u’lláh.
The other Bahá’í eagerly volunteered and was chosen to go, whereupon Mr. Elias began weeping bitterly.
A passerby asked why he wept, and Mr. Elias replied that the Guardian had chosen someone else and not him to unfurl the Standard of Bahá’u’lláh. The stranger then told him that it was because the other man had volunteered, while he had not.
The next morning Mr. Elias hurried back to the National Assembly secretary and told him he would go to Ethiopia if accepted. The secretary said Mr. Elias already had been chosen for the mission because the Assembly was certain he would accept.
Mr. Elias, who was then 27 years old, came to Addis Ababa from Cairo through the Sudan in 1933 after arduous travels by train and car.
Although it was hard for him, a simple tailor, to make contacts with many people in a foreign land whose customs were unfamiliar to him, he persevered, taught the Faith to some, and managed in 1934 to raise the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Addis Ababa.
During this same period Mr. Elias managed to translate Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era and Bahá’í Administration into Amharic.
Mr. Elias left Addis Ababa in 1935, shortly before the war with Italy began, and did not return until 1944.
Once back in Alexandria, Egypt, Mr. Elias married a Bahá’í. In 1944 they were invited by Shoghi Effendi to come to the Holy Land on pilgrimage.
When Mr. and Mrs. Elias met the Guardian, he told them they soon would return to Ethiopia to pioneer, that there would be many Assemblies raised, that they would be successful and would be helped, and that there would one day be a National Spiritual Assembly in the capital of Ethiopia.
“It was not possible even to dream
[Page 3]
Mr. and Mrs. Sabri Elias, seated in center, receive a warm welcome in Amharic, Arabic and English as honored guests of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ethiopia at its National Convention.
about what was said then,” Mr. Elias told the Ethiopian National Convention. “But now I see it is a reality. At that time the seat of the National Assembly of North East Africa was in Cairo; later, that same National Assembly was transferred to Addis Ababa, when the Egyptian Bahá’ís were unable to exercise their Bahá’í rights, and now the National Spiritual Assembly of Ethiopia has been raised in Addis Ababa.”
When Mr. Elias and his wife came to Addis Ababa in May 1944, they could not find the Bahá’ís he had taught previously, so they were obliged to start teaching over again.
One of the first fruits of this effort was the enrollment of Gila Michael Bahta, who is now chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ethiopia. A Local Assembly was formed in 1945, and in 1954-56 the Assembly was incorporated—the first African Assembly to achieve that status.
There was a strong Bahá’í community in Addis Ababa at that time, and when the Guardian’s call for pioneers to Djibouti was received in 1954, Mr. and Mrs. Elias left with their two daughters, leaving behind their two younger sons at an Addis Ababa boarding school.
While in Djibouti, in spite of the heat and considerable suffering. Mr. and Mrs. Elias joined forces with another Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, Fred Schechter, who had preceded them there by about a week, and succeeded in forming its first Local Spiritual Assembly. They remained until 1959, then returned to Alexandria after reopening Ethiopia and helping to open Djibouti to the Faith.
Now, at the age of 71, Mr. Elias and his wife, who is 57, are pioneering for a second time to Djibouti, this time with their 26-year-old daughter.
It is the latest in a long line of services to the Cause by Mr. Elias who accepted the Faith as a young man of 14 and used to teach it in mosques and synagogues in Egypt.
Following three days of meetings with the National Assembly and the friends in Addis Ababa, Mr. and Mrs. Elias left on May 17 for their pioneering post in Djibouti.
Mr. Elias had come to Ethiopia before and after the Italian occupation and established firmly the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in that country. He and Mrs. Elias were in Djibouti the first time during the French occupation, and were there again as the nation celebrated its independence on June 21, 1977.
Before their departure, the National Assembly of Ethiopia presented both Mr. and Mrs. Elias with new Amharic translations of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era.
The inscription in Mr. Elias’ copy reads:
“On behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ethiopia this book is presented to Mr. Sabri Elias to thank him for the translation of this book in 1933 and for forming the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Ethiopia.”
And in Mrs. Elias’ copy:
“To Sister Fahima Yakut thanking her for the valuable service she gave to the Faith, and for helping to form the second Local Spiritual Assembly of Addis Ababa in 1944.”
The latest visit to Addis Ababa of Mr. and Mrs. Elias was all too brief. Their names are planted deeply in the soil of Ethiopia and in the hearts of its people, whether believers or seekers. And the fruits of their valiant labors are now apparent for everyone to see.
Typical of the rural village areas in which Mr. Sabri Elias taught in Ethiopia is this scene near Awassa where the villagers have gathered under a tent to hear the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum.
Three Visitors[edit]
The Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois,
The ‘Mother Temple of the West,’
reaches out to embrace people from all over the world.
Here are the stories of three of this year’s visitors
Chief Kintoki Joseph[edit]
Chief Kintoki Joseph didn’t have to leave the South Pacific island of Truk, where he grew up, to see the world; the world came to him.
Even the chief’s name reflects the several cultures that have held sway over the island at various times.
The Japanese controlled Truk in 1921, when he was born. So he was named “Kintoki,” which is Japanese for “golden time.”
Shortly after his birth, the future chief’s parents took him to a Catholic priest—a carryover from the earlier days of Spanish rule—to be christened. The priest named him “Diego,” which in English translates into “Joseph.”
In his name, only the title of “chief” is indicative of the traditional culture of the island.
Chief Joseph speaks Japanese and Trukese. His children, ages 10 and 12, are studying English in schools established since 1947 when the United Nations designated Truk as part of a Trust Territory to be administered by the U.S.
With so many different peoples inhabiting Truk, it was only a matter of time before Bahá’ís would visit Chief Joseph’s island. They arrived in 1971 in the form of a teaching team from the Hawaiian Islands.
When the friends told Chief Joseph of an international brotherhood of humanity who would live together as one family, he said he would like to become a Bahá’í.
Teams from Hawaii and Guam returned several times afterward to establish a strong Bahá’í Group on Truk. Now there are three Local Spiritual Assemblies on the island, with five more on the remaining 37 islands in the Truk District.
The same year that Chief Joseph became a Bahá’í—1971—he celebrated his 50th birthday and left Micronesia for the first time to attend a White House conference on aging in Washington, D.C.
He has since made two other overseas trips. In 1976, Chief Joseph traveled to Australia for a meeting of the Pacific and Asian Tribal Association.
This summer he was in the U.S. again, this time under the Visitor Program Service (VPS).
The VPS is a State Department-sponsored program under which citizens of other countries visit the U.S. The program was begun after World War II, and according to Chief Joseph’s interpreter, some 25 Japanese-speaking persons are guests under the program each year.
The chief says he believes he was chosen by the island government for the VPS tour because he is a traditional chief, and because of the opportunity to learn things that might be of some use to the island on his return.
His visit began with a stop in Hawaii where he met with the Bahá’ís. From there he spent five days in Washington discussing government affairs.
The chief stayed one night in Lena, Illinois, with an American family. The mayor of Lena showed him the waterworks and sewage plant.
[Page 6]
Chief Kintoki Joseph of Truk Island in the Pacific descends the stairs at the House of Worship after stopping at the Bahá’í bookstore for some literature.
Chief Joseph, who is interested in comparing rural American government with that of his own island, says the two are quite similar, largely because Truk’s government is modeled after the U.S. system.
While in America the chief visited the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, and said later it was even more beautiful than he had expected it to be.
Afterward, he traveled to Puerto Rico to study the relationship of that territory to U.S. government and to survey the tuna fishing industry (he is president of a fishing cooperative on Truk); stopped in Phoenix, Arizona, to discuss Mexican-American relations and visit a nephew; visited Indian tribes in the states of California and Washington; saw his first American baseball game in San Francisco, and stopped in Hawaii again on his way home for another visit with Bahá’ís there.
Chief Joseph says that from what he has seen, the U.S. is “tops” in building things and providing living conveniences.
But American culture, he adds, has its drawbacks. For example, it has brought alcoholism and an inability to hold jobs to the youth of his island.
But the chief plans to send his son and daughter to the U.S. for a college education, then have them return to Truk to work.
Chief Joseph says outsiders should visit Truk, not so much because of anything that is especially interesting there, but because the lifestyle of the people is unlike that of persons from industrialized nations. He says anyone who is considering a visit to Truk should first become familiar with local customs.
One such custom, says the chief, who teaches Trukese traditions, is that women aren’t allowed to walk in front of men who are talking. Another is that women may not interrupt men who are in session at the meeting house.
Among Bahá’ís, says the chief, women do not interrupt men who are talking, but this is not discrimination, simply good manners.
On the other hand, a woman is allowed to divorce her husband, but a husband may not divorce his wife.
One of the duties of a chief is the customary one of settling family disputes. The family either comes to him for help, or he approaches them. The chief strives for an agreement that is satisfactory to everyone.
Chief Joseph says the fact that he is a Bahá’í doesn’t change the way in which he settles disputes or functions as chief.
Kintoki Joseph is chief of the municipality of Udot, not the entire island of Truk.
Although the position of chief is hereditary, it is not patrilineal; that is, Chief Joseph’s son won’t be the next chief. Instead, the son of his daughter, or the son of his sister, will be the chief. In this way, the chiefship does not stay in one family.
As chief, Kintoki Joseph is careful to refrain from involvement in politics. For most Bahá’ís on the island, he says, this is not difficult.
Involvement of another kind, that of local believers with members of Protestant or Catholic churches, he says, is one of peaceful cooperation.
Each Sunday, he says, Bahá’í women and children on Truk meet to discuss various precepts of the Faith.
Bahá’í literature is available on the island in languages understood by the people. Generally, the older people speak Japanese, the younger people English, and both groups speak Trukese.
The chief says that if someone wishes to pioneer to Truk, skill as a construction worker would be helpful, as would some knowledge of Japanese or Trukese in addition to English.
- ‘What sets the Cinderella school apart from others is that Mrs. Yorke incorporates Bahá’í principles in the curriculum and training wherever possible.’
Bernice Edna Yorke[edit]
Each year the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world.
They come from every level of society, from every religious background, from every continent, territory or island, and from every race and nationality. Many of them have interesting stories to tell.
Among the visitors to the Mother Temple of North America in the summer of 1977 was Mrs. Bernice Edna Yorke, an educator and vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Belize (formerly British Honduras) in Central America.
Mrs. Yorke, who learned of the Bahá’í Faith through Cora Oliver and Shirley Ward, Knights of Bahá’u’lláh who pioneered to Belize during the Ten Year Crusade (1953-63), declared her belief in God’s Messenger for this Day in 1961 and has been a staunch and active member of the Belize community ever since.
In addition to her National Assembly membership, Mrs. Yorke is chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Belize City.
Mrs. Yorke had been a schoolteacher for more than 15 years when she accepted the Faith. Eleven years ago, acting on the advice of friends and acquaintances who pointed out to her the great need for preschool education in Belize, she opened her own private school, the Cinderella Infant School.
“Infant School is really an English term for kindergarten,” says Mrs. Yorke. “The original idea was to have a school for children from three to five years old.
“But parents would come to me saying, ‘Please, won’t you keep him (or her) just one more year?’ So the age limit has gone up now to eight years. If I would allow it, the parents would have me keep their children all the way through school, but I had to put my foot down and set the limit at eight years.
“I am the principal of the school and also teach the six- to eight-year-olds. I have four helpers whom I am training to become teachers, and they teach the younger children.”
What sets the Cinderella school apart from others is that Mrs. Yorke incorporates Bahá’í principles in the curriculum and training wherever possible.
“This is done indirectly,” she says, “without mentioning the Faith. These children come to us from many religious backgrounds, and we surely don’t wish to antagonize the parents.
“But the children say Bahá’í prayers each day, and learn them by heart, without being told the source. We also teach them the Bahá’í principles and way of life; that is, freedom from prejudice, tolerance toward others, reverence for God, and other concepts to make them better human beings.
“We have public shows at the school twice each year, and always we open them with the Bahá’í prayer, ‘Blessed Is the Spot.’ ”
From the response she has received from parents, it is obvious that Mrs. Yorke must be doing something right. Not only does the Cinderella school operate at its capacity, 100 students, there also is a long waiting list of future students.
“In fact,” she says, smiling, “some of the children on our waiting list haven’t even been born yet! The prospective parents ask us to reserve a space for their unborn child so they’ll be certain he’ll be able to attend the Cinderella school when he is old enough.”
One reason for the school’s success, she believes, is that “we stress the fundamentals: reading, writing, arithmetic. As a result,
- ‘I think that no man in the world really is able to count the rewards of pioneering ... But the reward is spiritual joy, and also material and physical.’
our students do exceptionally well as a whole when they go on to the government (public) schools.
“I have great hopes for these children. While ours is not a ‘Bahá’í’ school in the true sense of the word, we are training the children to be accepting toward Bahá’í principles. And of course, they know I am a Bahá’í, so it is easy for them to figure out for themselves the source of what they are being taught.”
Mrs. Yorke, who has a son in California, a daughter in New York City and two grandchildren, opened the Cinderella school in September 1966 with 28 students housed in the downstairs area of a private residence.
The school’s capacity at the time was 70. Five years ago Mrs. Yorke finally was able to acquire her own building for the school, raising its capacity to the present 100.
Coincidentally, the new Cinderella school building is in an area of Belize City known as Cinderellatown.
Mrs. Yorke traveled to the U.S. in July to visit her daughter, who is a Bahá’í, and made it a point to return via Wilmette so she could visit the House of Worship.
“I had wanted to do so before, on several trips,” she says, “but always I was dependent on someone else to go also, and it never seemed to work out.
“This year I decided I would go there by myself, so I rode the bus from New York to Chicago. It was more than worth it.
“The House of Worship is beautiful and inspiring, and I even had the great bounty of guiding visitors on two evenings. This has been a lovely visit, and I have many fond memories to share with the friends in Belize when I return.”
Dr. Aḥmad Taeed[edit]
Dr. Aḥmad Taeed, who is vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of The Netherlands, left his native Irán in December 1961 to pioneer to the land of tulips, windmills and wooden shoes.
He had finished studying dentistry at the University of Ṭíhran, and applied to a university in The Netherlands for postgraduate work.
After waiting a full year, he received a reply: his application was not accepted.
“But I did not give up,” says Dr. Taeed. “I had a dream which pushed me to keep trying.”
Dr. Taeed decided to fly to The Netherlands and present his case in person. He was told that if he could pass an examination, he would be allowed to enroll for post-graduate courses. Inside of an hour’s time he had passed the exam.
Dr. Taeed had become interested in pioneering while he was a student at the beginning of the Ten Year Crusade in 1953.
He was so moved by the letters of the beloved Guardian, and by the encouragement to pioneer given to the Bahá’ís of Ṭíhran by the Hand of the Cause of God ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan, that he started pondering the possibility of pioneering at that time.
By the time he was graduated from college, several years later, says Dr. Taeed, “pioneering was the desire of my heart, and I had only to bring it to action.
“Many of my friends and colleagues,” he says, “wanted to go to the United States. But at that time I had no desire to go there.”
He says a letter from Shoghi Effendi to the American Bahá’í community dated July 1954 mentioned that the friends should disperse, especially from the City of the Covenant (New York) and the Mother City (Chicago).
No more than 15 Bahá’ís, the Guardian said, should remain in either city, which would be enough to maintain their Local Spiritual Assemblies.
“So I did not go to the U.S.,” says Dr. Taeed. “I was interested in the European countries, either Denmark or The Netherlands.”
[Page 9]
While visiting the House of Worship, Dr. Aḥmad Taeed (right) and his wife, Rafat, were greeted by U.S. National Spiritual Assembly Secretary Glenford E. Mitchell (second from left), and Assistant Secretary Mrs. Soo Fouts (left).
The early years in The Netherlands, he says, were not easy:
“Almost every pioneer, leaving his home, going to any country, will be confronted with so many difficulties. It is seldom that I have heard that a pioneer has gone to a new place and everything has been according to his wishes.
“So in the beginning, you see, all the doors are closed. But only through perseverance will all the doors open. That was the case for me too.”
The first community Dr. Taeed lived in was Utrecht, where he later was joined by his wife, Rafat.
Utrecht, he says, is known to the believers for the golden tiles made there for the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel. “So in the writings of the beloved Guardian, we find the name of Utrecht,” he says.
After five years the Taeeds moved to Ede, where there are now nine Bahá’ís.
In spite of the difficulties often encountered in pioneering, says Dr. Taeed, it has many bounties.
“I think that no man in the world really is able to count the rewards of pioneering,” he asserts. “It is initially so hard. But the reward is spiritual joy, and also material and physical. Our needs have always been met. Really, the doors have been opened, more than I ever thought they would be or could have wanted them to be.”
The growth of the Faith in Holland, says Dr. Taeed, has been most gratifying.
“When I arrived there in 1961,” he says, “there was a single National Spiritual Assembly for Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. The following Riḍván, the Dutch had their first Bahá’í National Convention and elected the first National Assembly.”
Dr. Taeed has been a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of The Netherlands since 1967, and currently is the only member of that body who is not Dutch.
There are 25 Local Spiritual Assemblies in The Netherlands, with six more scheduled to form at Riḍván 1978. Only five more are needed to win the Five Year Plan goal.
To help win the other goals of the Plan, the National Assembly has planned four teaching conferences to be held before Naw-Rúz. Youth have been asked to take part, and invitations sent to National Assemblies around the world requesting teachers and speakers.
“We hope the friends will be fired spiritually,” says Dr. Taeed.
He says most declarations in The Netherlands in the past 10 years have been among the youth. The National Youth Committee, formed several years ago, is organizing deepening classes for Bahá’í youth, their friends, and other seekers.
Dr. Taeed suggests that Bahá’ís who are contemplating a trip to Europe consider teaching or pioneering in countries other than The Netherlands.
The Taeeds are themselves looking toward other countries where the need is even greater.
“For a year or so we have been pondering the possibility of moving to a developing country where the Faith is growing faster,” says Dr. Taeed. “We visited Nairobi, Kenya, in October 1976 when the International Teaching Conference was held, and we found the Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike there to be spiritually ready for growing in the Faith.”
The Taeeds speak Dutch, English and Farsi, the language of Irán. Perhaps they’ll soon be learning another language.
Around the World[edit]
Sierra Leone
Delegates express concerns at National Convention[edit]
Concerns expressed by the 15 delegates to the 3rd Bahá’í National Convention in Sierra Leone April 29-May 1 were that more materials be printed in local languages, that women’s conferences and inter-community teaching continue, that local Bahá’í centers be acquired, and that teaching events be held near the borders.
A step was made toward achieving one goal of acquiring local Bahá’í centers when, on the last day of the Convention, land at Dwarzack Farm was donated for the purpose.
Messages from the Universal House of Justice and the Continental Board of Counsellors were read by Shidan Kouchekzadeh, an Auxiliary Board member, who represented the Continental Board of Counsellors at the Convention. The messages were translated into the Krio language.
Elected to the National Spiritual Assembly were Kent Alkire, Horace Brown, Judi Bryant, Sandra Bullock, Augustine Conteh, A.M. Jalloh, Ansumana Mansaray, A.S. Momodu, and Donald Williams.
After the election of the National Spiritual Assembly, the delegates presented recommendations to that institution.
The Convention also sent a cable to the Universal House of Justice stating that the Local Assembly goals for the Five Year Plan had been met. The Universal House of Justice cabled back that it was “delighted.”
The Convention closed with prayers and the friends lingered around the Bahá’í National Center, enjoying fellowship.
Women’s Institute a huge success[edit]
Of the Women’s Institute held at the Bahá’í National Center in Sierra Leone, it was reported: “To unite theory and practice, matter and spirit on the one hand, and to say what should be done and to do what has been said on the other, is a phenomenon so rare that when, once in a while, it happens through the united efforts of some well-wishers, it is regarded as a miracle. And that is exactly what happened at the Women’s Institute sponsored by the Auxiliary Board on February 13.”
The institute, which was attended by 17 people, followed a Deepening Institute held earlier in the year.
There were classes for both women and children. They studied methods of teaching the Faith, the obligatory prayers, the lives of distinguished Bahá’í women such as Ṭáhirih, and Bahá’í law.
During workshops, the participants had an opportunity to learn the obligatory prayers in English, French, Krio, and Temne. Two non-Bahá’í youth learned the prayers in English and Krio.
The concluding words of the conference centered around the idea that the role of Bahá’ís is to bring about the unity of mankind.
Germany
Weekend seminars aim to strengthen Local Assemblies[edit]
Three weekend seminars presented by Auxiliary Board member Gösta Reuter in northern Germany in May were aimed at strengthening Local Spiritual Assemblies in the area.
After presenting “Glimpses of Perfection,” a slide show about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Mr. Reuter and his three assistants talked about four interrelated aspects of the Local Assembly.
The first aspect discussed was the necessity of constantly turning to the Writings for Divine guidance; the second was the divine origin of the Local Assembly; the third was the attributes and virtues required by Local Assembly members; and the fourth aspect was the functions of the Assembly as described by Shoghi Effendi.
A separate program was held for children of participating parents. They studied arts and crafts and baked waffles for everyone present.
India
Conference focuses on women’s teaching[edit]
How can Bahá’í women teach prominent women in Asia about the Faith? The question was discussed by representatives from many Asian National Spiritual Assemblies at the recent International Teaching Conference in Hong Kong.
One idea, which will come to fruition October 13-17, is an All Asia Bahá’í Women’s Conference to be held in New Delhi, India. This will be the first Bahá’í Women’s Conference ever held in Asia with the specific aim of involving Bahá’í women in teaching the Faith to other women.
Immediately following the conference, a two-month teaching project will be launched. Women who attend the conference, together with Bahá’í women in their home communities, will take the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to prominent women throughout Asia.
The Universal House of Justice, in a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, said: “This seems to be a useful and interesting project which, if held, may have a great effect on the expansion of the Cause in Asia.”
The Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum has accepted an invitation to attend.
New Publication
Guardian’s letters in new publication[edit]
Call to Nations, a compilation of excerpts from the World Order letters of Shoghi Effendi, will be available in August 1977, the Publishing Department of the Universal House of Justice has announced.
In the foreword, it is explained that these extracts are offered “at this critical juncture...as a light and a guidance to all mankind in this dark period of our history.”
The Publishing Department believes the volume is well suited for use in presentations to public figures, and of particular interest to serious students of the Faith.
Call to Nations will be available in both hardback and paper editions.
[Page 11]
New Zealand
Six communities gather to study Bahá’í Writings[edit]
During a Youth Activation Day on April 3, six Bahá’í communities on the North Island of New Zealand studied the Bahá’í role both in history and in years to come, along with aspects of Bahá’í life.
The 20-30 friends met in Levin for the study. Other communities represented were Ashhurst, Feilding, Kairangi County, Lower Hutt, and Palmerston North.
Levin was given priority for consolidation during a regional planning session that day.
The first session, called “Our Place in History,” dealt with the Faith’s progress, both past and future. This led to a lively discussion about the immediate challenge of the future, and the need to be armed with knowledge of the Faith and a distinctive character.
The sessions gave the friends a deeper awareness of the seriousness of the Faith, the responsibilities to be shouldered, and the assurances from the Writings that we will be assisted and ultimately victorious.
The friends talked about spiritual life, physical laws, education, the Administrative Order, pioneering and teaching, and making personal plans to win the goals of the Five Year Plan.
Malaysia
Hand of Cause Muhájir speaks at conference[edit]
The Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir was the guest speaker at a conference in Port Dickson, Malaysia, on April 2-4.
The two topics covered at the conference were teaching the Faith and protection of the Faith.
Dr. Muhájir entreated the friends to remain firm in the Covenant. He said as the Faith expands in numbers, more people from within and without will strive to undermine its unity.
To protect the Faith, said Dr. Muhájir, the number of Auxiliary Board members for protection would be increased.
In its Riḍván message a few weeks later, the Universal House of Justice did indeed call for 297 more Auxiliary Board members.
On teaching, Dr. Muhájir told the assembled believers about a project underway in India to bring in half a million new believers, which would double the Bahá’í population there. A call for Bahá’ís to assist in the project brought 12 volunteers.
Of the approximately 285 people at the conference, 150 were Aslis, a people indigenous to Malaysia. Hundreds of Aslis are becoming Bahá’ís; oftentimes entire villages declare, it has been reported.
Fiji Islands
Hand of the Cause A.Q. Faizí, third from left, visited the South Pacific island of Fiji on March 12-27. While there, he gave Bahá’í World, Volume XV and The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh, to L.F. Brosnaham, deputy vice-chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, second from left. Also present were John Weeks, reader in education, left, and Ivan Williams, lecturer in education, right.
[Page 12]
Cameroon Republic
A teaching trip was made to Bambui, in the Bamenda region of the United Republic of Cameroon, in March. Continental Counsellor Mehdi Samandari, fifth from left, was among the teachers.
Ecuador
Children’s conference brings 17 declarations[edit]
Children in Tachina, Ecuador, had their own regional conference recently. By the end of the five-day event, 17 persons had become Bahá’ís. Most of them were the parents of children attending the classes.
The conference stemmed from regular children’s classes held in the Tachina area, 12 being held in the countryside and three in the city itself. They began last December.
Bahá’í mothers, most of whom have had no previous teaching experience, conduct the classes. One teacher holds classes in different areas and travels on foot to do so.
The classes are family-oriented, and material produced by Bahá’ís in Colombia is used.
United Kingdom
Bahá’í plays role in world government[edit]
When the Crusade for World Government was launched 27 years ago, the Guardian wrote to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom:
“...the Bahá’ís should by all means support (the Crusade), vote for the representatives to be sent to its constituent Assembly in 1950, and stand for election if they wish to ...”
The offspring of the Crusade for World Government is an organization called the Association of World Federalists (AWF). It is gaining ground in Denmark and Japan where 80 per cent and 50 per cent respectively of these countries’ parliaments are members of the world government movement.
But the trend in recent years in Britain has been a loss of members of AWF as the threat of world war seems to diminish.
Renewed attempts are being made by the World Federalists to form a Constitution for World Government, and conferences for this purpose have taken place in Mexico, Canada, Austria, and France in recent months. The Bahá’ís were officially invited to these conferences.
It was during this time that Philip Hainsworth, then secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom, and now its public relations officer, was able to play an unexpected role.
He was elected to the Council of World Federalists at the annual General Meeting in Britain, and was asked to serve on the executive body as well.
Pressure of work at the National Center caused him to decline the latter invitation, but he accepted membership on the council in a consultative capacity.
Shortly afterward he was elected to the District Council of the United Nations Association (City of Westminster).
He also was invited to be a member of the Committee for the Constitution of a Provisional World Government.
The association of Mr. Hainsworth with both the AWF and the UNA has proven to be beneficial for the Faith.
For many years in the United Kingdom the AWF and the UNA have followed different paths and have not had much sympathy for each other’s activities. But at the first UNA Branch meeting Mr. Hainsworth attended, he proposed that a World Federalist be invited to address a UNA meeting. The proposal carried, and a distinguished Federalist was invited to speak.
Later, while Mr. Hainsworth was at an AWF Council meeting, he suggested that more liaison between the two bodies would be advantageous. The council decided to encourage all AWF members to join the UNA.
A meeting called by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Three Rivers to address the need for world government provided an excellent opportunity to further the process of cooperation.
Both the chairman of the AWF and the chairman of the Westminster branch of the UNA spoke at the meeting. Not only did they discover they had much more in common than they had previously appreciated, but they were impressed by the Bahá’í welcome and the practicality as well as the vision of the Faith.
[Page 13]
Canada
Eleven Saskatoon bookstores receive ‘Thief in the Night’[edit]
Coinciding with the Canadian National Convention, held in Saskatoon, 600 copies of Thief in the Night, a book by the Hand of the Cause William Sears that explains how Bahá’u’lláh fulfills Biblical prophecy, were dispersed over a period of two weeks to bookstores throughout the city.
The Spiritual Assembly of Saskatoon ordered enough promotion kits for the book to distribute to 11 bookstores across the city, including the major ones.
At the same time, the book was advertised on the radio three to four times a day over the two-week period.
The radio advertisements were aired again at the end of May and the beginning of June, on the advice of the booksellers. They suggested that advertising at this time would be beneficial, because it would coincide with the influx of returning students.
The promotion of Thief in the Night caused at least one instance of opposition. An advertisement appeared in a local newspaper inviting the public to a sermon at a large city church on the subject of Thief in the Night.
The minister giving the sermon felt he should try to discredit the book and disprove the claims it contains concerning the return of Christ.
The combined results of wide proclamation and the stimulation of this form of opposition have drawn considerable attention to the Faith in Saskatoon.
Australia
Elderly believer uses prayer to teach Faith[edit]
Rose Hawthorn is in her early nineties and has nearly lost the sight in both her eyes. She is confined to a nursing home in Burnside, South Australia, yet through constant prayer has been able to teach the Faith.
One of the nurses, who reads the Sacred Writings to Rose regularly, borrowed Prescription for Living, a book by the Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, and took it home.
The nurse’s 12-year-old daughter saw the book and became interested in what it had to say. “This,” she thought, “is what present day people need to sort out their difficulties.”
After reading the book, and telling her schoolmates about it, she and her friends decided to have regular study sessions based on the book.
So enthusiastic has the group of youth become that the parents are also attending the study sessions each Monday night.
The latest book which Rose has lent the group is Thief in the Night, the Hand of the Cause William Sears’ book about how Bahá’u’lláh fulfills Biblical prophecy.
The group size has increased to 39, and the nurse’s husband has made space in his shed for everyone to meet.
Rose is excited about the classes and takes them as an answer to her prayers.
Children’s classes growing in Griffith[edit]
Bahá’í children’s classes in the Australian town of Griffith are taught by nearly every adult and youth in the Bahá’í community.
The approximately 19 children who usually attend are mainly from non-Bahá’í families. The community has hired a hall to accommodate the growing number of children.
Dawn Dibdin, who provides transportation for a group of Aboriginal children, says the Bahá’í songs they sing on the drive home get louder and louder each week as their numbers increase.
Asia
Rúḥíyyih Khánum plans 5-month tour[edit]
The Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum will embark in September on a journey of approximately five months’ duration that will take her to several Bahá’í communities in the Far East including Hong Kong, India, Japan, Nepal, and Singapore.
During her trip she will attend the All Asia Bahá’í Women’s Conference in New Delhi, India, October 13-17. It is expected that this international conference for Bahá’í women will attract a large attendance from Asia and other parts of the world.
Ethiopia
Convention spurs pledges of victory[edit]
The National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Ethiopia brought renewed pledges from delegates and communities to assist in winning the remaining goals of the Five Year Plan, and especially the immediate goals arising from the Convention itself.
Sixteen believers offered their vacation times for the primary purpose of teaching, while 13 others pledged to have firesides in their homes at least once a week.
The message from the Universal House of Justice read at the Convention sparked these people to arise.
Venezuela
The Continental Board of Counsellors for South America, between January and March, held three training institutes for assistants to Auxiliary Board members. The first course was held in Venezuela, in the town of Perija. Participants are shown here.
[Page 14]
Philippines
After 13 years, she wants to shout ‘I am a Bahá’í!’[edit]
Flordeliza Cornejo is a Bahá’í who lives in Punta, in the Philippines. Her story, told in the Philippine Bahá’í News, is shared here.
“It was in the summer of 1964 when I first heard about the Bahá’í Faith. A small group of Bahá’ís held a public meeting ... a joyous occasion, though I cannot remember much about what was discussed ... I thought that one could be a Catholic and a Bahá’í at the same time, so I became a Bahá’í.
“Four years later another team again visited Punta ... and held another public meeting. I thought that would be the last time I would hear about the Faith. I continued to live the life of a devout Catholic, and for a while even thought of becoming a nun.”
In 1975 a Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in Punta.
“I just wanted to please the traveling teachers, so I voted,” said Ms. Cornejo, adding that although she subsequently became chairman of the Assembly, it meant nothing whatsoever to her, because “we didn’t know anything about Bahá’í activities.”
Some months later, more Bahá’í teachers arrived, full of friendliness, although “I knew they felt our lack of interest. At about this time the National Teaching Committee kept sending guidelines for the Nineteen-Day Feast celebrations, which we did not use at all.”
Finally, pioneers came from Alaska who asked if there were any Bahá’í activities going on.
“What could I answer? I was terribly embarrassed! I told them about the situation ... and they smiled with such warmth, patience and understanding ... They gave us some pamphlets, books and a prayer book, which I never bothered to read ...”
Ten years had passed since she “became a Bahá’í,” and at the end of 1975, a regional conference was to be held close by.
She admits that “I had planned to go somewhere else, to have an alibi for not attending this conference,” but “... the powers of Bahá’u’lláh reached my heart, as if there was a great force which pulled me to attend the conference. I decided to go ...”
At this conference, surrounded by the enthusiasm, encouragement, love and unity of the friends, she found herself being introduced as “the chairman of the Punta Spiritual Assembly.”
“Immediately I began to question myself seriously. Where do I stand?
“I was awakened! I was moved and enlightened ... I decided to really become a Bahá’í.”
Her discovery coincided with the awakening of her companion Bahá’ís, and her family too, for Punta became an active and progressive community.
“Before,” she concludes, “I was very hesitant to say ‘I am a Bahá’í.’ Now I want to shout to the whole world I am a Bahá’í!”
Alaskan believer recounts teaching trip[edit]
Marian Johnson, an Alaskan Bahá’í, spent two months in the Philippines recently, traveling to different parts of the country to teach the Faith.
She tells of one declaration that “pleased me very much.” She and two other Bahá’ís were riding to the top of the rice paddies in the town of Lubuagen in an open jeep with about eight non-Bahá’ís.
A man across the seat asked: “What makes you ladies so happy? You have such nice smiles and dispositions.”
After two hours of discussion, he declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
One of the passengers asked if the three teachers knew who the new Bahá’í was. When they said they didn’t, he told them the man was the Vice Mayor of the town to which they were traveling.
The new Bahá’í introduced the teachers to many people in the town, including the Governor and his wife. The Vice Mayor himself brought in two new believers while the three teachers were there.
Uganda
Message interests Catholic priest[edit]
When a Bahá’í woman in Uganda visited a Roman Catholic priest, the topic turned to the times in which we are living.
What she said concerning the prophet Daniel’s words about the “time of the end,” and the vision of St. John in the book of Revelation especially interested the priest.
She was delighted when the priest said in great seriousness, “God’s plan can be in operation and one may not be aware of it until some years later. Listening to you, I can see that many of the prophecies have been fulfilled. And we are still waiting!”
She then told him that many souls are waiting, and that God has given every soul the capacity to recognize His Messengers when They come.
Belize
Canadian lends hand in village teaching[edit]
Arthur Irwin, a Canadian Bahá’í, traveled in Belize after attending the Bahá’í International Teaching Conference in Mérida, Mexico, in February.
“With the guidance of the National Spiritual Assembly of Belize, I concentrated on teaching in the villages,” he says.
“The emphasis was on visiting believers who had not been visited for nearly a year, and to find new Bahá’ís in the opened localities.
“Travel was by bicycle, as I could not find a car or motorcycle to rent.
“The village Bahá’ís were very hospitable and eager to hear the Teachings. Pamphlets ... were left for them as most had no literature.
“During the teaching activities there were six enrollments, including a child of 14.”
[Page 15]
Irán
In a surprise visit on June 30, Mr. Hushmand Fatheazam, a member of the Universal House of Justice, met with the Continental Board of Counsellors in Western Asia and their Auxiliary Board members in Persia at their semi-annual meeting. Mr. Fatheazam is seated in the center with Counsellor Hadi Rahmani standing at the far right and Counsellors Dr. Iraj Ayman and Dr. Masin Farhangi standing at the far left.
United Nations
Bahá’ís contribute to new exhibit at United Nations[edit]
An estimated two million visitors tour the United Nations Headquarters in New York annually.
These visitors will see a new exhibit this year, dedicated on March 10 by Kurt Waldheim, Secretary-General of the UN.
The exhibit features the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the UN. The Bahá’í International Community is one of 530 NGOs.
A report from the Bahá’í International Community says the exhibit took several years to complete, and “features photos of people around the world, and 15 illuminated boxes indicating areas of NGO participation, such as International Women’s Decade, Human Rights, the Right to Food, Environment, Racial Discrimination, Cultural Heritage, etc.
“For the box on cultural heritage, the Bahá’í International Community contributed an Inuit (Eskimo) soapstone carving donated by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada.”
Gifts from more than 60 National Assemblies, which demonstrate the cultural diversity of the Bahá’í world, are included in the exhibit.
Alaska
Festival booth gets friendly response[edit]
Each year the Bahá’ís of Nome, Alaska, have a booth in the annual Midnight Sun Festival, held near the date of the summer solstice in late June.
“There was a pleasing response to the booth from the community,” reads one report. The Bahá’í booth displayed pictures of the Bahá’í Houses of Worship throughout the world and a pamphlet which the Nome Bahá’ís had prepared themselves.
“Those who stopped at the booth were quite friendly and happy to talk about God and things of the spirit. It was also good to renew old acquaintances and friendships,” said one participating Bahá’í.
Tanzania
Villagers impress Canadian teacher[edit]
Canadian Bahá’í Chris Anderson, accompanied by a Tanzanian Bahá’í and two other Canadian Bahá’ís, traveled throughout Tanzania recently to teach the Faith.
In a letter to the Canadian National Spiritual Assembly, he says: “We fell in love with the Tanzanians, the country and the climate.
“We were impressed with the unity and community life in the villages we visited. In one instance we were simply staggered by the Bahá’ís’ deep commitment to Bahá’u’lláh in a village so far from anywhere with one copy of one book, no prayers, no Bahá’í visitors since two years ago, where they were actively teaching, meeting once or twice a week plus organizing study groups conducted by two or three literate school youth.
“What an example they have set for us who have so many Bahá’í Writings and total literacy.”
[Page 16]
Sikkim
Believers host conference, form youth committee[edit]
The Bahá’ís of the mountain kingdom of Sikkim, on the slopes of the Himalayas, hosted the Himalayan Conference May 7-9 in their capital city of Gangtok.
The three-day conference renewed and strengthened the confidence of the Bahá’ís of Sikkim toward early completion of its Five Year Plan goals, reported the National Spiritual Assembly.
From this conference came the formation of the National Youth Committee, efforts toward the completion of four Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, and the promise of consolidation in some areas.
Many believers offered to teach in communities near their own, and two of the friends arose to pioneer to Bhutan, Sikkim’s international goal.
Three members of the Continental Board of Counsellors and three members of the National Spiritual Assembly of India attended the conference. Bahá’ís from Belgium, Irán, Ireland, and Malaysia also were there.
The Governor of Sikkim, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and other state ministers and heads of government departments attended a Unity Feast that preceded the conference. The Governor said he was confident that the unique principles of the Bahá’í Faith would go a long way toward achieving peace and establishing the recognition of the oneness of mankind.
New Zealand
Conference inspires youth teaching effort[edit]
Sixty youth were inspired by the recent International Teaching Conference in New Zealand to make trips around the country to teach the Faith.
The four teams were composed of youth from Australia, Fiji, Irán, Malaysia, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, and New Zealand.
One team visited the Auckland area, another the East Coast, one the West Coast, and one the South Island.
In every town they visited, on the buses, in the streets, in the parks and on the beaches and hills, they handed out pamphlets along with invitations to their Bahá’í variety concerts.
In Hamilton, Masterton, Rotorua, and Taupo, members of the youth teams were given radio interviews. In many more towns, articles and sometimes team photographs appeared in local newspapers.
In some places, the youth sang in hospitals and homes for the elderly.
On the East Coast, the youth were asked to attend a Maori wedding, were given a Maori welcome, and were asked to speak to a number of the guests.
Besides proclaiming and teaching the Faith—with many non-Bahá’ís attending their firesides—these teams helped to consolidate existing Bahá’í communities.
Haiti
34 attend day-long Assembly Institute[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of Haiti recently conducted a one-day institute for the secretaries and treasurers of Local Spiritual Assemblies.
“The entire institute was conducted in the Creole language by native believers,” reported the National Assembly. “It was well-received, and the participation and questions were heartening.”
The 34 believers present agreed to share what they had learned with their own Local Assemblies and members of neighboring Assemblies who were unable to attend.
More than half of Haiti’s Local Assemblies were represented at the institute.
Taiwan
Hand of Cause guest at pioneer institute[edit]
The Master said, “China, China, Chinaward the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh must go.”
The words were repeated by the Hand of the Cause H. Collis Featherstone in the city of Taipei, in northern Taiwan, last spring, at a one-day pioneer institute.
The purpose of the institute was to rekindle the spirits of the pioneers to Taiwan who, though few in number, have won many victories.
While in Taipei, Mr. Featherstone met with the National Spiritual Assembly and the Auxiliary Board members and their assistants.
During his week-long visit to Taiwan, Mr. Featherstone stopped in Taichung in central Taiwan. The visit resulted in one new Bahá’í and a rededicated community.
In the southern part of Taiwan, in the city of Tainan, the Hand of the Cause spoke to a group of Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís.
“This group,” reported the National Assembly, “included one shy, elderly Chinese lady, who had passed the Center many times but had never before, though she wanted to, had the courage to enter and ask her questions about the Faith. This night she walked right in.”
The National Assembly said that Mr. Featherstone “inspired the friends the whole length of the island.”
The Gambia
Opening village leads to formation of 13 Local Assemblies[edit]
The opening of one village in the Lorebeh area of The Gambia has led to the formation of 13 Local Spiritual Assemblies.
The initial village opened was that of Sinchi Colley, near Kuntaur. The headman there became a Bahá’í, and under his guidance, 12 neighboring villages were brought into the Faith, reports the National Spiritual Assembly.
It also reports that as Bahá’í centers are built and dedicated in The Gambia, separate meetings are held stressing the important role of women in the Bahá’í community. At the same time, the women are invited to participate in the establishment of regular children’s classes, and the children are taught prayers and songs.
Bahá’í News and what they say about it...
“Bahá’í News is for all of us our comfort, our stimulus, our vision of the countless efforts being carried out (in every land) with Divine help from the Supreme Concourse...!” (Bolivia)
“...the delayed issues...arrived yesterday and will you believe it? I pored over the first issue then another...hours slipped by and I looked down at the table and found my lunch untouched and four hours cold!” (El Salvador)
“The Bahá’í News often is...the only tie to home and the so-called ‘outside world.’ Often, it is the only piece of literature we receive in our native tongue...The Bahá’í News...becomes...the letter from home. Besides, it encourages the pioneer to know what his Bahá’í brothers are doing in other parts of the world and it inspires him to double his efforts.” (Ecuador)
...what do you say?
